About the Program

The department currently provides a three-year postgraduate training program for 21 residents, with seven new candidates accepted each year. Residents benefit from the wisdom of a large, expert faculty with a deep commitment to teaching, and they have the opportunity to work with the latest diagnostic and therapeutic equipment. The organized teaching program consists of approximately 350 hours of didactic lectures per residency, covering all subspecialty areas within ophthalmology. Residents leave the clinic areas one afternoon a week and report to Downstate for an afternoon of grand rounds case presentations followed by didactics. Special program features include the Wills Review Course for 1st year residents, and the University of Illinois at Chicago review course for 2nd year residents. Senior residents are permitted to attend an approved educational course of their choice. In addition, all first year residents attend a weekly three-hour cooperative course collaboratively sponsored by several major New York City-based residency training programs. The SUNY Downstate program offers its own basic science review course, with several surgical courses given throughout the year. A surgical cataract simulator course is given to all residents early in their first year with open access throughout the year.

A graduated surgical experience is afforded to the residents with 1st years involved in traumatic eyelid repair, minor procedures, and pterygium surgery. The second years are involved with strabismus surgery, retinal and glaucoma laser surgery, and begin cataract surgery at the midway point in the year. Surgical observations for the various types of eye surgery are mandatory for all 1st and 2nd year residents. The senior year's surgical training includes work to supplement previously performed surgery in addition to being primary surgeon for penetrating keratoplasty, vitreo-retinal surgery, glaucoma surgery and globe trauma. All residents exceed the minimum surgical requirements set by the Accreditation Commission for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). It is expected that the senior residents will all perform more than 120 cataract cases. A comparable experience is gained in ocular trauma, glaucoma surgery, retinal surgery and laser surgery.

The program includes monthly faculty grand rounds, often with visiting professors, updating residents and faculty on developing trends and techniques in ophthalmology, in addition to the weekly resident grand rounds. As mentioned, all residents execute a research project, and mentorships are established in the first year of residency training. Other special program features include an oncology rotation at Memorial Sloan Kettering and collaborative surgical courses with other academic institutions.

Strengths of the overall residency program include the extensive exposure to trauma cases, and well-structured rotations through programs at the affiliated hospitals. All resident levels have an equivalent learning experience as their rotation sites are identical each year of training. Residents get off to a positive start through experience with varied patient populations and pathologies at the different clinical sites. Another outstanding aspect of the SUNY Downstate education program is the opportunity to work and learn in state-of-the-art facilities, where the most sophisticated equipment permits conducting very advanced procedures. Residents often praise the enthusiasm of the faculty and the program's emphasis on research accomplishment.

Many residents go on to fellowship training and have received very prestigious positions at top institutions. Nonetheless, residents choosing to go directly into practice from our residency are indeed ready and able to perform at very high levels. Since 2005, there has been a marked increase in the quality of applicants for our residency program openings, attracted by the department's growing national reputation. At its most recent review by the ACGME in 2009, the department received full accreditation.

SUNY Downstate Ophthalmology Residency Listing

Graduates 2009	Fellowship
Dr. Habeeb Ahmed	Cornea - USC
Dr. Kichiemon Asoma	Cornea - UT Southwestern
Dr. Carl Danzig	Retina - UT Southwestern
Dr. Majida Gaffar	Peds Ophtho - National Children's Hospital Washington
Dr. Adam Jacobowitz	Uveitis - Johns Hopkins College of Medicine
Dr. Na Ma	Neuro - Ophthalmology/Plastics, Kingsbrook/Downstate
Dr. Preeti Poley	Retina - University of Nebraska
Dr. Kirk Sturridge	Glaucoma - University of Iowa

Graduates 2010	Fellowship
Dr. Rodney Coe	Retina - University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Gennifer Greebal	Peds Ophtho - National Children's Hospital Washington
Dr. Sheetal Patel	Cornea - Cornell Medical Center
Dr. Allison Rand	Cornea - Mount Sinai Medical Center
Dr. Marjorie Rico	Oculoplastics - Dr. Janet Neigel
Dr. Brandon Rodriguez	Cornea - Cornell Medical Center
Dr. Jeremy Shaw	Medical Retina - Duke University Medical Center

Graduates 2011	Fellowship
Dr. Ramanath Bhandari	Retina - University of Colorado
Dr. John Frisbee	Retina - Ochsner Clinic Foundation
Dr. Andrew Greenberg	Glaucoma - NY Eye and Ear Infirmary
Dr. Alex Karvelishvili	Retina - Valley Retina Institute Texas
Dr. Margaret Liu	Cornea - Johns Hopkins College of Medicine
Dr. Monika Singh	Comprehensive Ophthalmology
Dr. Beatrice Whitaker	Comprehensive Ophthalmology
Dr. Lauren Yeager	Peds Ophtho - National Children's Hospital Washington

Graduates 2012	Fellowship
Dr. Sara Ferri	Cornea -Johns Hopkins College of Medicine
Dr. Sara Hanson	Comprehensive Ophthalmology
Dr. Amy Kulak	Plastics - Kresge
Dr. Akil Pascal	Comprehensive Ophthalmology
Dr. Gabriel Schaab	Cornea - University of Wisconsin College of Medicine
Dr. Melanie Sobel	Comprehensive Ophthalmology

PL3 Class 2012-2013	Medical School Attended
Dr. Cindy Calderon	SUNY Stonybrook
Dr. Justin Gutman	SUNY Upstate
Dr. David Mostafavi	UMDNJ
Dr. Chirantan Mukhopadhyay	University of Wisconsin School of Medicine
Dr. Sherry Narang	Drexel College of Medicine
Dr. David Rand	University of Miami School of Medicine
Dr. Isaac Reich	SUNY Downstate
Dr. Shetal Shah	SUNY Downstate

PL2 Class 2012-2013	Medical School Attended
Dr. Matthew Gorski	Jefferson College of Medicine
Dr. Jason Moss	Stanford College of Medicine
Dr. Renelle Pointdujour	SUNY Downstate
Dr. Allison Rizzuti	SUNY Downstate
Dr. Jordan Spindle	University of Texas at Houston School of Medicine
Dr. Adam Thode	Jefferson College of Medicine
Dr. Frank Tsai	Temple College of Medicine

PL1 Class 2012-2013	Medical School Attended
Dr. Michael Dattilo	SUNY Downstate
Dr. Solly Ellman	SUNY Downstate
Dr. Jay Joseph	UT Southwestern
Dr. Jewel Liao	SUNY Downstate
Dr. James Murphy	University of Wisconsin School of Medicine
Dr. Asher Neren	Chicago Medical School
Dr. Jeffrey Tan	Boston University School of Medicine

Ophthalmology Class Entering 2013
Dr. Eitan Burstein	SUNY Downstate
Dr. Frank Cao	Wayne State University College of Medicine
Dr. Edward Chay	SUNY Downstate
Dr. Ghulam Dastgir	SUNY Downstate
Dr. Nicholas Farber	University of Virginia School of Medicine
Dr. Heshma Mehendale	University of Mumbai
Dr. Jenny Temnogorod	SUNY Downstate